Apple's tablet dominance is no more. According to a new Gartner report, Google's Android operating system handily defeated Apple's iOS in the tablet market in 2013.

According to the Gartner report, a little over 120 million Android tablets were sold in 2013, giving Android a 62 percent market share. Apple iOS tablets (the iPad family), meanwhile, racked up 70 million in sales, giving iOS a 36 percent market share. Last year marks the first time Android tablets have captured more of the market than Apple.

Samsung was the key driver in the Android tablet market, selling 37 million units. The only other manufacturer to sell more tablets in 2013 was Apple, due to it being the only manufacturer of iOS tablets.

The 2013 numbers represent a complete flip in the upper echelon of tablet sales. In 2012, only 53 million Android tablets were sold, giving Google's operating system a 46 percent market share. Apple reigned supreme in 2012 with 62 million tablet sales for a 53 percent market share. 

One should note that tablet sales as a whole experienced significant growth in 2013. Overall tablet sales were up 68 percent from the previous year, with Android experiencing a whopping 127 percent more sales than 2012. Apple, however, fell under par, with only 15 percent more tablets sold than 2012. The reason for such growth in the tablet market? According to Gartner, it's because of the explosive emergence of "low-end, smaller screen" tablets such as the Google Nexus 7 and iPad mini.

"In 2013, tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of mainstream consumers while still offering adequate specifications," writes research director Roberta Cozza.

"As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditised, in 2014, it will be critical for vendors to focus on device experience and meaningful technology and ecosystem value -- beyond just hardware and cost -- to ensure brand loyalty and improved margins."

The numbers, however, can be deceiving, as pointed out by Apple Insider, which writes that the sales figures used for the report don't accurately represent the market.

"Further confusing the issue is Gartner's use of the term 'sales.' Apple is the only major company to report sales to end users, while Android device makers like Samsung note only shipments. Gartner saw Samsung's tablet business grow 336 percent year-over-year, a feat chalked up to expanded product offerings and intense marketing," says Apple Insider.

Tablets aren't the only thing Android finally beat Apple in last year. Android smartphones also outsold iOS smartphones in 2013. Tallying up shipments gives Android a 79 percent market share -- four times as many shipments as Apple and Microsoft combined. Apple ended 2013 with 16 percent market share for the year.

Still, Apple does have the upper hand in one area: enterprise. Apple iOS devices in 2013 made up an impressive 73 percent of all enterprise activations, while Android enterprise activations were only 26 percent.

All in all, it looks like Android is gaining a foothold in the consumer market that it never had before thanks to the ever-bulging portfolio of Android devices compared to Apple's sparse lineup. Still, that doesn't mean 2014 will be the same.

"We expect Android's growth to slow further in 2014 due to market saturation, and rivals like Microsoft or Firefox will be ready to pounce on any signs of a major slowdown for Android this year," reads the Strategy Analytics report detailing Android's 2013 smartphone market share.